夹叙夹议 知识点题库

    Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, “Mum, you must come and see the daffodils(水仙花)before they are over.” I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Lake Arrowhead. "I will go next Tuesday," I promised, a little unwillingly, on her third call.

    The next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and so I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn's house and hugged and greeted my grandchildren, I said, "Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible (看不见的) in the cloud and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see!"

    My daughter smiled calmly and said, "We drive in this weather all the time, Mum. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience."

    After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand-lettered sign that read "Daffodil Garden."

    We got out of the car and each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, we turned a corner of the path, and I looked up amazed. Before me lay the most beautiful sight. Flows of flowers of different colors seemed poured down the peak and slopes. There were five acres of flowers! A sea of daffodil! It was like a fairyland all beyond description.

    "But who has done this?" I asked Carolyn. "It's just one woman." Carolyn answered. "That's her home." Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house that looked small and modest in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house. On the patio (露台), we saw a poster." Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking" was the headline.

    The first answer was a simple one. "50,000 bulbs (鳞茎)" it read. The second answer was, "One at a time, by one woman." The third answer was, "Began in 1958."

    I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than fifty years before, had begun one bulb at a time to bring the beauty and joy to the mountain top. Just planting one bulb at a time, year after year, had changed the world where she lived and created something of magnificence, beauty, and inspiration.

    When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small amounts of daily effort, we too can accomplish great things. Everyone can do something to change the world.

    It was a village in India. The people were poor. However, they were not unhappy. After all, their forefathers had lived in the same way for centuries.

    Then one day, some visitors from the city arrived. They told the villagers there were some people elsewhere who liked to eat frog's legs. However, they did not have enough frogs of their own, and so they wanted to buy frogs from other place.

    This seemed like money for nothing. There were millions of frogs in the fields around, and they were no use to the villagers. All they had to do was catch them. Agreement was reached, and the children were sent into the fields to catch frogs. Every week a truck arrived to collect the catch and hand over the money. For the first time, the people were able to dream of a better future.

    But the dream didn't last long. The change was hardly noticed at first, but it seemed as if the crops were not doing so well. More worrying was that the children fell ill more often, and, there seemed to be more insects around lately.

    The villagers decided that they couldn't just wait to see the crops failing and the children getting weak. They would have to use the money earned to buy pesticides(杀虫剂) and medicines. Soon there was no money left.

    Then the people realized what was happening. It was the frog. They hadn't been useless. They had been doing an important job—eating insects. Now with so many frogs killed, the insects were increasing more rapidly. They were damaging the crops and spreading diseases.

    Now, the people are still poor. But in the evenings they sit in the village square and listen to sounds of insects and frogs. These sounds of the night now have a much deeper meaning.

    I could feel the judging eyes of my family burning a hole into the back of my head as I picked up my phone. All of a sudden, the chattering in the living room died and all I could hear was the sound of the turkey sizzling (发出嘶嘶声) in the oven.

    “Look at her! She's been on her phone all day long! It's all your fault! Children will never respect elders if they are not taught how to behave! ” my grandmother shouted.

    I was very shocked and angry! I opened my mouth to say something, but words failed me and I just sat down quietly on the chair like a mouse in its trap. I thought “Here we go again.” I truly love my family and I would do anything for them. I also know that they would do anything for me as well. However, there are moments that make me feel like they are just stuck with me. They all agree on one thing: technology is wrecking me.

    If I am going to be treated like a child or completely ignored, I will most likely not enjoy your company, and I feel like this applies to (适用于） the majority of the people. So I sometimes simply shut myself in my room and listened to the voices coming from the living room, thinking: They all grew up in a world so different that it amazes me how they have actually gotten this far. They did not have phones or any type of advanced technology, which is both good and bad. Bad because they had almost no type of fast communication, and good because they were forced to interact (互动) with one another, which is something today's society is lacking in. However, maybe if they made an effort to be aware of how things work nowadays, they would not be so against everything.

Unchangeable Love

    One day I visited an art museum while waiting for my husband to finish a business meeting. I was expecting a quiet 1 of the splendid artwork.

    A young 2 viewing the paintings ahead of me 3 nonstop between themselves. I watched them a moment and decided the lady was doing all the talking. I admired the man's 4 for putting up with her 5 stream of words. 6 by their noise, I moved on.

    I met them several times as I moved 7 the various rooms of art. Each time I heard her continuous flow of words, I moved away 8.

    I was standing at the counter of the museum gift shop making a 9 when the couple approached the 10. Before they left, the man 11 into his pocket and pulled out a white object. He 12 it into a long stick and then tapped his way into the 13 to get his wife's jacket.

     "He's a 14 man." the clerk at the counter said. "Most of us would give up if we were blinded at such a young age. During his recovery, he made a promise his life wouldn't change. So, as before, he and his wife come in 15 there is a new art show."

     "But what does he get out of the art?" I asked. "He can't see."

     "Can't see! You're 16. He sees a lot. More than you and I do," the clerk said. "His wife 17 each painting so he can see it in his head."

    I learned something about patience, 18 and love that day. I saw the patience of a young wife describing paintings to a person without 19 and the courage of a husband who would not 20 blindness to change his life. And I saw the love shared by two people as I watched this couple walk away, hand in hand.

    Have you ever been sad because of failure? Please remember, for quite often achieving what you set out to do is not the most important thing.

    A boy decided to dig a deep hole behind his house. As he was working, a couple of older boys stopped by to watch. “What are you doing?” asked one of the visitors. “I want to dig a hole all the way through the earth!” the boy answered excitedly. The older boys began to laugh, telling him that digging a hole all the way through the earth was impossible. After a while, the boy picked up a jar. He showed it to the visitors. It was full of all kinds of stones and insects. Then he said calmly and confidently, “Maybe I can't finish digging all the way through the earth, but look at what I've found during this period!”

    The boy's goal was far too difficult, but it did cause him to go on. And that is what a goal is for－to cause us to move in the direction we have chosen, in other words, to cause us to keep working!

    Not every goal will be fully achieved. Not every job will end up with a success. Not every dream will come true. But when you fall short of your aim, maybe you can say, “Yes, but look at what I've found along the way! There are so many wonderful things having come into my life because I tried to do something!” It is in the digging that life is lived. It is the unexpected joy on the journey that really makes sense.

    There are many reasons why I encourage people to travel, and I know that the experience will make one a better person.

    I remember when I was travelling I began to know the world better. The world is not just about me, my small town and home. Although you will meet different people from all over the world, you will realize that people are similar in their dreams, hopes and feelings. Enjoy exploring the different cultures, and you will also find that people are different in some of the things they do and how they live. Once you understand their ways, it need not be strange or scary. Often we read stories about other cultures in books. Only when we visit their areas do we find that those stories are something wrong.

    One thing you may find out is that there are problems all over the world. We can't just get money to send to these areas and hope that will work them out. The world should get involved（干预）and help wherever there are problems. People everywhere should be given a chance. It is so easy to ignore this if one does not travel and explore. One can look around and see that so many people have many challenges worse than ours. One can realize that sometimes our biggest problems are not that big after all.

    On your journey you will meet lots of new friends. Talking to strangers and finding about their lives is a great way to spend your time. you will certainly be more confident after having to cope with problems and make many decisions along the way.

    When you travel, you have to be on your own in some situations. You will surprise yourself by how well you can do that. All your special experiences could make an interesting book to read. It would be filled with all your adventures and special memories.

    Traveling around and seeing so much happening in the world around us is a wonderful experience. If we could all just travel a little more and share our experiences, we would all be better people and the world would be a better place.

    According to Gallup's annual Global Emotions report, people all over the world are more stressed than ever before. Nearly 40 percent of adults from 146 countries reported having experienced worry or stress. And it isn't just adults experiencing these high stress levels; experts have also observed a rise in the number of children and youth. According to another study published in EurekAlert, one in five students are so stressed that they've considered self-harm or suicide. The immense stress they face has been proven to be harmful to their health.

    It's no news that stress can trigger anxiety, depression and self-harming behaviors, and cause sleep problems, social withdrawal, angry outbursts and obsessive-compulsive behaviors. We are moving towards a society where an increasing number of us face mental health problems that stem from high stress levels. If stress increases rapidly, how can we fight it?

    It might sound easier said than done but studies have shown that the best way to deal with stress is to change your perception(认识) of it.

    The University of Wisconsin conducted a study of 30,000 Americans. Researchers asked them how much stress they'd experienced in the past year and whether they believed stress was harming their health. The researchers concluded that people in the study who were exposed to large amounts of stress and viewed stress as harmful had 43 percent higher risk of dying than people who viewed stress as a helpful response.

    More interestingly, those with more positive perceptions of stress had the lowest risk of death out of all involved in the study, even lower than those experiencing very little stress.

    A separate study conducted by researchers from King's College London and the University of Marburg showed students with more negative beliefs about stress experienced more physical symptoms, such as headaches, tension and tiredness during a stressful end-of-semester exam period, compared with students who had more positive beliefs about stress.

    These two studies have proven that stress itself is not actually bad. It is the belief that stress is bad that is bad.

        Let us all raise a glass to AlphaGo and the advance of artificial intelligence. AlphaGo, DeepMind's Go-playing AI, just defeated the best Go-playing human, Lee Sedol. But as we drink to its success. We should also begin trying to understand what it means for the future.

    The number of possible moves in a game of Go is so huge that in order to win against a player like Lee. AlphaGo was designed to adopt a human—like style of gameplay by using a relatively recent development--deep learning. Deep learning uses large data sets, “machine learning” algorithms （计算程序） and deep neural networks to teach the AI how to perform a particular set of tasks. Rather than programming complex Go rules and strategies into AlphaGo, DeepMind designers taught AlphaGo to play the game by feeding it data based on typical Go moves. Then, AlphaGo played against itself, tirelessly learning from its own mistakes and improving its gameplay over time. The results speak for themselves.

    Deep learning represents a shift in the relationship humans have with their technological creations. It results in AI that displays surprising and unpredictable behaviour. Commenting after his first loss, Lee described being shocked by an unconventional move he claimed no human would ever have made. Demis Hassabis. one of DeepMind's founders, echoed this comment：“We're very pleased that AlphaGo played some quite surprising and beautiful moves.”

    Unpredictability and surprises are—or can be—a good thing. They can indicate that a system is working well, perhaps better than the humans that came before it. Such is the case with AlphaGo. However, unpredictability also indicates a loss of human control. That Hassabis is surprised at his creation's behaviour suggests a lack of control in the design. And though some loss of control might be fine in the context of a game such as Go, it raises urgent questions elsewhere.

    How much and what kind of control should we give up to AI machines? How should we design appropriate human control into AI that requires us to give up some of that very control? Is there some AI that we should just not develop if it means any loss of human control? How much of a say should corporations, governments, experts or citizens have in these matters? These important questions, and many others like them, have emerged in response, but remain unanswered. They require human, not human - like, solutions.

    So as we drink to the milestone in AI, let's also drink to the understanding that the time to answer deeply human questions about deep learning and AI is now.

    Like many other students beginning graduate school, I was quickly charged with responsibilities and had to find time for studying by letting goof many other things I valued. Letting go of football and the violin was, however, self-defeating: it might have brought me more time in the short term, but spending that extra time on work only' made me more stressed and less productive.

    Towards the end of the MSC (Master of Science program) started to lose my motivation and curiosity for science and research, as well as my creativity. Spending so much time and energy in the laboratory, and focusing all my attention on my thesis and courses, made me feel down and almost totally uninterested in my field - not to mention short-tempered and oversensitive in my personal communications.

    Over time, I learnt from these experiences. When I started my PhD, I focused on balancing academic success with personal time-off, and made personal happiness a priority (首要事情) in my weekly schedule. My mentor (导师) and I discussed my work-life balance early in my program, and we arrange our lab responsibilities accordingly.

    I set boundaries for myself in new ways: 'rather than doing lab work all weekend, I'd play football or the violin, or visit loved ones, before allowing myself to work fora few hours.

    This was hard at first: I worried that it would affect my standing with my peers, and superiors, but I had learnt from experiences that an overloaded schedule can drain (使疲劳) you so much that you become unfocused and start making mistakes or forgetting important details.

    Since establishing a better work-life balance, I've been doing well in graduate school. Outside the lab, I've been able to take up a few leadership positions at my university because I'm not as stressed with my work. I serve as our department's student councilor and I am also vice-president academic in the Health Sciences Graduate Students' Association. My advice is this: a healthy work-life balance isn't a luxury; it's a key part of success in graduate programs.

When my sister Martie told me she had put out tomato plants last summer, I was quite impressed.

She was a garden-beginner. Once they were planted, she tended to water them daily, anxiously awaiting the juicy tomatoes to appear. But, day after day, her plants were tomato-less while all of her neighbors who had also put out tomato plants were already enjoying the fruit of their labor.

Frustrated, Martie gave in and went to the market to search fresh tomatoes. While paying, Martie told the farmer her troubles. The farmer paused to think for a moment and then asked, "Well, what kind of tomatoes did you plant?"

"I think they were called Big Boy," Martie remembered.

"Well there's your problem," the farmer explained. "Big Boy and Better Boy tomatoes have a 95-day gestation (孕育) period whereas regular tomato plants produce fruit in as little as 70 days...you just have to wait a little longer for the Big Boys."

With that new knowledge, Martie went home with excitement, knowing they would be worth the wait.

Thinking about my sister's gardening experience, I had to smile. She just didn't know that Big Boy tomatoes took longer-neither did I-but once she discovered that information, she was no longer discouraged and upset about the lack of tomatoes on her plants. Instead, she was encouraged and excited to see them a few weeks later.

It makes me wonder how many of us have "Big Boy' dreams in our hearts, yet we just don't realize that they are of the "Big Boy" variety so we are discouraged and worn out with the waiting process. Instead of waiting with excitement, we give up on our dreams and figure we must have done something wrong to stop them from coming to pass. Frustrated, we see other people's dreams coming true, and we wonder why ours haven't yet been achieved.

Is smile just a facial expression? Of course not! It is not only used to express pleasure, affection, and friendliness, but also the commonest way to show our good will perfectly without saying anything. A Chinese saying runs: "Never hit a person who is smiling at you." It is a time-proven fact that smile is a language all its own-a universal language-understood by the people of every nation in the world. We may not speak the same tongue as our foreign neighbors, but we smile in the same tongue. We need no interpreter for thus expressing love, happiness, or good will.

One day while shopping in a small town in southern California, it was my misfortune to come across a clerk whose personality conflicted with mine. He seemed quite unfriendly and not at all concerned about my intended purchase. I bought nothing, and marched angrily out of the store. On the outside stood a young man in his early twenties. His expressive brown eyes met and held mine, and in the next instant a beautiful, brilliant smile covered his face. The magic power of that smile made all bitterness within me melt, and I found the muscles in my own face happily responding. "Beautiful day, isn't it?" I remarked, in passing. Then, obeying an impulse(冲动), I turned hack. "I really owe you a debt of gratitude," I said softly. His smile deepened, but he made no attempt to answer. A Mexican woman and two men were standing nearby. The woman stepped forward and eyed me inquiringly. "Carlos, he no speak English," she volunteered. "You want I should tell him something?" At that moment I felt changed. Carlos' smile had made a big person of me. My friendliness and good will toward all mankind stood ten feet tall. "Yes," my reply was enthusiastic and sincere, "tell him I said, 'Thank you!' " "Thank you?" The woman seemed slightly confused.

I gave her arm a friendly pat as I turned to leave. "Just tell him that " I insisted. "He'll understand, I am sure!"

Oh, what a smile can do! Although I have never seen that young man again, I shall never forget the lesson he taught me that morning. From that day on, I became smile-conscious, and I practice the art diligently, anywhere and everywhere, with everybody.

Rosie, a first-year university student in Beijing, entered a classroom for her oral English exam and slid her topic across the table to Joe, a foreign teacher. My Story, it read. "In middle school, my classmates laughed at me for having deaf-mute parents," she began softly. "From that moment on, I decided not to tell anybody. But today…"

It's widely considered taboo(忌讳) in Chinese to discuss the details of an unhappy family life with anyone other than very close friends. However, as Joe has noticed, many Chinese students appear surprisingly comfortable discussing emotional moments from their lives when they speak with foreign teachers in a language different from their own.

"Speaking English," one of his Chinese students told him, "I feel like another person." When speaking Chinese, he is kind of reserved; in English class, he is more open. English, to the Chinese speaker, may be like a mask, creating a buffer(缓冲物)between speaking the truth and the listener's reaction. Students focus on how to speak rather than what is being said. If there's a misunderstanding, English can take the blame.

Another reason why Chinese students are more comfortable sharing their secrets during English class may be the distinct approach to teaching used by their foreign teachers. "I always try to come to each student, make eye contact, have a 20-second conversation and see how they are doing," Joe said. Classes taught by Chinese teachers, in contrast, are more formal. Many students said they had never been asked their opinion in class.

Rosie's English vocabulary is now extensive, but she still can't find the words to describe her feelings towards the English language. "English makes me feel I am different," she said. "English is beautiful."

I have a special place in my heart for libraries. I have for as long as I can remember. I was always an enthusiastic reader, sometimes reading up to three books a day as a child. Stories were like air to me and while other kids played ball or went to parties, I lived out adventures through the books I checked out from the library.

My first job was working at the Ukiah Library when I was 16 years old. It was a dream job and I did everything from shelving books to reading to the children for story time.

As I grew older and became a mother, the library took on a new place and an added meaning in my life. I had several children and books were our main source (来源) of entertainment. It was a big deal for us to load up and go to the local library, where my kids could pick out books to read or books they wanted me to read to them.

I always read, using different voices, as though I were acting out the stories with my voice and they loved it! It was a special time to bond with my children and it filled them with the wonderment of books.

Now, I see my children taking their children to the library and I love that the excitement of going to the library lives on form generation to generation.

As a novelist, I've found a new relationship with libraries. I encourage readers to go to their local library when they can't afford to purchase a book. I see libraries as a safe haven (避风港) for readers and writers, a bridge that helps put together a reader with a book. Libraries, in their own way, help fight book piracy (盗版行为) and 1 think all writers should support libraries in a significant way when they can. Encourage readers to use the library. Share library announcements on your social media. Frequent them and talk about them when you can.

I was talking recently with my mom when our conversation reminded me of an interesting story. "This is very funny," I said. "One time I was diving with my friend Rudy… "

My mom cut me off impatiently. "I've heard this one before, honey," she said. "You don't need to tell it again."

Storytelling is a signal of faith (信任) in the relationship. When we share our personal experiences, we also share something about our values, our history, our outlook on life. But the benefits of storytelling only work if you're good at it—many of us are not. We fail to pay attention to our audience, ignoring them when they become bored, angry or confused. And we often throw in every detail we find interesting, no matter how irrelevant (不相干).

People who repeat the same stories over and over are considered as less sincere. We also find that listeners are less interested in getting along with someone retelling a story they've heard him or her tell before. We tend to think these storytellers aren't presenting themselves truly.

Good storytellers use their voice to express strong feelings, which show they really care about the story. Impressive stories that make people laugh or feel moved, touched or angry have the most impact. " If it causes a reaction in you, it's likely to cause a reaction in your audience," mom says.

I've learned a lot about storytelling in my work as a journalist (and from my mother). Tailor your story to your audience. Have a point. Edit yourself. Leave a straight wake—no going off the track. And most importantly, don't repeat yourself.

The man who invented the World Wide Web a few decades ago is calling for major changes to make it better for humans. In an open letter published on Tuesday, Berners-Lee said that the web was used by half the world's population.

Berners-Lee said the web had clearly created great opportunities for humans to progress and had made life easier for millions of people. Actually, it also has offered opportunities to groups traditionally not heard a new voice in society. However, he added that the web had also provided new ways for cheats to commit crimes (犯罪).

"Against the background of news stories about how the web is misused, it's understandable that many people feel afraid and unsure if the web is really a force for good," he wrote.

Berners-Lee created a group called the World Wide Web Foundation. He is looking for help from governments, companies and people to become more involved in shaping the web to do more good for humans. His actual plan is called the "Contract (合同) for the Web".

Under this contract, governments are called on to take steps to make sure all people can connect to the Internet and that personal privacy is respected. Businesses are asked to keep the Internet prices low so more people can use the web. In addition, companies should respect privacy and develop technologies that aim to put people first.

The plan also calls on people to create materials for the web and work with others to make sure that is rich, quality information for everyone. Besides, people should seek to "build strong communities that respect personal speech and human equality." "The path to make the Internet better is the responsibility of everyone who uses it," Bermers-Lee added, "Making big changes will not be easy, but will be very well worth it in the end."

Have you ever been sad because of failure? Please re member, for quite often achieving what you set out to do is not the most important thing.

A boy decided to dig a deep hole behind his house. As he was working, a couple of older boys stopped by to watch. "What are you doing?" asked one of the visitors. "I want to dig a hole all the way through the earth!" the boy answered excitedly. The older boys began to laugh, telling him that digging a hole all the way through the earth was impossible. After a while, the boy picked up a jar. He showed it to the visitors. It was full of all kinds of stones and insects. Then he said calmly and confidently, "Maybe I can't finish digging all the way through the earth, but look at what I've found during this period!"

The boy's goal was far too difficult, but it did cause him to go on. And that is what a goal is for-to cause us to move in the direction we have chosen, in other words, to cause us to keep working!

Not every goal will be fully achieved. Not every job will end up with a success. Not every dream will come true. But when you fall short of your aim, maybe you can say, "Yes, but look at what I've found along the way! There are so many wonderful things having come into my life because I tried to do something!" It is in the digging that life is lived. Itis the unexpected joy on the journey that really makes sense.

It was a weeknight and one of my twin daughters marched into the room, waving a book she'd finished. "Dad, why are books with science in them always about boys?" she asked.

I told her that simply wasn't true; there were loads of great science fictions with girls in them. She agreed, but argued that in those stories it was the boys who were doing science, and the girls were just along for the ride. My other daughter took her sister's side and challenged me to give an example.

This left me in a difficult position. I could either go through our library to point out some wonderful examples of female-led science fictions, or just admit they were right and remain in my comfortable chair.

I've been asked several times how I came up with the idea for A Problematic Paradox and my answer is always the same: it came to me in a moment of inspiration. I like that answer because it's simple and makes me seem very creative. The fact that this explanation is not true bothers me from time to time. Here's the truth: the story wasn't my idea. It was my daughters who suggested I write something for them that had a girl doing science.

My daughters were at an age when many young women turn away from STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), believing those areas of study unfriendly or out — of — the — norm for girls. I also read about how important role models can be to young people. It's one thing to tell a person they can do something, but seeing someone like them doing that thing can be more powerful.

So, I kept two guidelines for the book in mind: First, the story had to be fun for anyone, because it's as important for boys to understand that science is for everyone. Second, I wanted the main character, Nikola, to be imperfect. She should be someone with shortcomings as we all have. I think this not only makes a story more interesting to read, but also helps make it clear that the most extraordinary things can be done by ordinary people.

One day, I noticed the most beautiful Cadillac pull in the lot while waiting for my husband. A pretty woman driver pulled into the spot beside our car. There was a striking resemblance to Liz Taylor. Her eyes were as blue as the sea, and teeth like an even row of pearls. A few minutes later, a nice looking man entered her car, learned over and kissed her and she drove away. Sitting there, I wanted to cry. My envy continued to exist long after she drove away.

A couple of weeks later, sitting in our usual parking lot, I was holding a book, watching her over the top of it. Her husband came to the car, took her arm and helped her out of the car. I could see very well as she moved to get out. She unsteadily walked around to the passenger side very slowly, learning on a walking cane. Sitting sideways, she lifted one leg with her hands and then the other. The beautiful lady had a prosthesis on the left leg and a brace on the right leg.

Tears were blinding me. I told my husband about the beautiful lady. He said he knew her husband and their story. The lady and her parents were in a car that got caught on the railroad tracks and was hit by a train. Both parents were killed and she was severely injured. She was only 12 years old. The railroad made a large settlement with her because the crossing had no signals. He explained her car was specially built for her needs as well as the home.

I prayed for forgiveness all the way home. I realized how lucky I was to have my parents, the ability to walk, run or dance through life and many wonderful things money can't buy. I would not have exchanged anything with the beautiful lady.

When you meet a person who seems to be better off then you, don't be fooled.

We are sitting at lunch when my friend casually mentions that she and her husband are thinking of "starting a family." What she means is that her biological clock has begun its countdown and she is considering the possibility of motherhood.

"We're taking a survey, '' she says, half jokingly." Do you think I should have a baby?"

"It will change your life, '' I say carefully.

"I know," she says, "No more sleeping in on Saturdays, no more relaxing vacations."

But that is not what I mean at all I look at my friend, trying to decide what to tell her.

I want her to know what she will never learn in childbirth classes. I consider warning her that she will never read a newspaper again without asking "What if that had been my child?" That when she sees pictures of starving children, she will look at the mothers and wonder if anything could be worse than watching your child die.

I feel I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally disturbed by motherhood She might successfully arrange for child care, but one day she will be waiting to go into an important business meeting, and she will think about her baby's sweet smell. She will have to use every ounce of discipline to keep from running home, just to make sure he is all right.

I want her to know that however decisive she may be at the office, she will second- guess herself constantly as a mother. That her life, now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a child. That she will give it up in a moment to save her child, but will also begin to hope for more years, not so much to realize her own dream, but to watch her child realize his.

My friend's surprised look makes me realize that tears have formed in my eyes. "You'll never regret it," I say finally.

It was on April 14th, 2010 that my entire life changed in an instant. One moment I was joyfully riding through the sunshine. The next moment, metal, flesh and bones were spreading against the pavement in a thunderous crash. Another cyclist, biking carelessly, had cut me off and sent me super manning toward oncoming traffic.

As if to symbolize the accident that had hit my life, another disaster also occurred on April 14th, 2010. It cost the airline industry $ 1.7 billion. Ten million travelers were stuck for days. Economics all over the world were disturbed. This was the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull, one of Iceland's many volcanoes.

However, volcanoes are not all bad. In fact, they are necessary. They are responsible for the birth of new earth, and for the creation of rich soil. This eruption gave off 0.15 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere daily. But cancelling 48% of the world's flight travel saved about 2.8 million tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere, temporarily decreasing our carbon footprint.

Similarly, the accident had badly affected my emotion but it also allowed me to look more closely inside myself and discover things about myself I would never have realized. I learned how not to judge myself for my new limitations.

In 1973, another Icelandic volcano, Eldfell, broke out. Icelanders decided to bomb it with cold water until it froze and chose a different path. After their plan worked, they used the geothermal (地热的) energy for the next 15 years to heat their homes. A good example of life bringing lemons, and making lemonade! One must move on from misfortunes, focusing only on the present moment and being hopeful for the future.

I ran from April 14th, 2010 to every kind of escape. Eventually I ended up in university for a newfound love in Earth sciences.